as in to backfire
to have the reverse of the desired or expected effect
the well-meaning gesture boomeranged, since he ended up being offended by it
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boomerang
Verb
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Apologies that are seen as stiff, corporate, and not empathetic can backfire and extend or worsen a crisis.—
Edward Segal,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025 -
And dramatic scare tactics about disease can backfire by pushing people toward extreme positions.—
Avi Dor,
The Conversation,
5 June 2025
Verb
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The signs have been there for about six months — ever since a 180-foot section of the wooden pier collapsed into the ocean after being battered by towering waves during an atmospheric river storm that wreaked havoc along the Central Coast.—
Hailey Branson-Potts,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2025
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That’s very much the case with Two Harbors, whose shares traded in the $60s before collapsing during COVID, only mildly rebounded, then deteriorated ever since to current prices around $10 per share.—
Brett Owens,
Forbes.com,
8 June 2025
Verb
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Dorsey stopped it, but 20 feet from the boat the fish jumped again, flopped back with a loud splash, and zoomed upstream.—
Arthur Grahame,
Outdoor Life,
4 June 2025
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Foster flopped in his first chance to be the starting point guard, and Cayden Boozer would be the backup plan.—
CJ Moore,
New York Times,
2 June 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Boomerang.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boomerang. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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